Manhattan Beach school board member recovering after attempted robbery on bike path

Bill Fournell knows he’ll get back onto his bike again soon; after all, he’s an avid cycler and member of the South Bay Wheelmen, a longtime local club that offers clinics and training and puts on group rides.

But whether he’ll continue pedaling roughly twice a week from his Manhattan Beach home to work in the Mid-Wilshire area — and which path he’d take if he did make the commute by bike — that’s up in the air for now.

Fournell, a Manhattan Beach Unified school board member, is continuing to recover from an attack last month on the Ballona Creek Bike Path that left him hospitalized for five days with a broken collarbone and ribs and a punctured lung. He’s been recuperating at home since he was released on July 24 from Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, and is planning to return to work on Monday.

“One of the great things about this is the outpouring of support from our friends and our families,” said the 53-year-old Fournell, a father of four who is serving his second term on the school board.

He was injured about 6 p.m. July 19 while making the 18-mile commute home from his job at Farmers Insurance, where he works as a marketing executive. Fournell estimated he was traveling about 20 mph on the bike path through Culver City when he came across three males sitting alongside the route somewhere between Duquesne Avenue and Higuera Street.

“It was daylight. There were a number of people around,” he recalled. “I was going home and these guys were sitting on the side of the trail.”

One of them slung his bike into Fournell’s front wheel, causing him to fall.

“They know there are commuters on there,” he said of the path that follows Ballona Creek all the way from Playa del Rey. “They were looking for a bike of some sort.”

Two of the three guys took off right away. But the one who threw the bike at him — Fournell believes he is 18 or 19 years old — stuck around and started to pull Fournell’s bike away, he said.

Fournell said he resisted but quickly questioned his decision when he saw the man put his hand into his pocket. But then the man took off running.

“I was about ready to just let go,” he said.

Luckily for Fournell, people nearby saw he needed help and apparently called 9-1-1. A Culver City motorcycle officer arrived and then an ambulance, which took him to the hospital.

“They said the collarbone and ribs are probably a six- to eight-week recovery, probably a couple months,” Fournell said.

On a typical morning, Fournell would follow the beachfront bike path along Dockweiler State Beach and pick up the Ballona Creek path in Playa del Rey, following the trail through Del Rey and into Culver City. At the path’s terminus near National Boulevard, he’d make his way to Venice Boulevard and head east, following surface streets to the office. After the hourlong ride, he’d shower there and get ready for his day.

“I’m a real active cyclist,” he said. “It was good training, good exercise.”

While at home recuperating, Fournell didn’t hesitate when asked if he’ll get onto his bike again. He may try it in six weeks or so, starting with spinning classes. But commuting this fall “is an open question” that depends on his progress and also how much daylight he’d have left for evening rides. He also suggested potentially changing the eastern part of his route.

Culver City police Lt. Randy Vickrey said the case remains open and has been referred to the department’s detectives.

Vickrey said the three male suspects are believed to be about 16 to 20 years old. Anyone with information is asked to call Lt. Jason Sims at 310-253-6258.